Coin vending machines



Dec. 28, 1965 A. MAXWELL 3,225,625

COIN VENDING MACHINES Filed Aug. 1, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORSTEWART ALFRED MAXWELL J r ZM ATTORNEYS Dec. 28, 1965 s. A. MAXWELL COINVENDING MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 1, 1962 SN E lNVENTORSTEWART ALFRED MAXWELL -livers such change. be provided to initiate thegiving of change.

United States Patent C) 3,225,625 COIN VENDING MACHINES Stewart A.Maxwell, Walsall, England, assignor to Fisher & Lutllow Limited,Birmingham, England, a British company Filed Aug. 1, 1962, Ser. No.213,946

Claims priority, application Great Britain, Aug. 2, 1961,

27,989/61; July 19, 1962, 27,688/62 1 Claim. (Cl. 74582) This inventionrelates to mechanisms for use in coin vending machines for the deliveryof change simultaneously with or independently of the purchase of goodsfrom the machine, having an actuating means for the initiation of changegiving and a change delivery device.

insertion of a coin or coins of larger denomination than the price ofthe goods to be purchased, places the mechanism in a condition to givechange or automatically de- In the former case a control may ently ofanother, and the present invention has for its object to provideimprovements in mechanisms of the .kind specified which will permit themovement of a portion of the mechanism independently of another.

According to the present invention I provide a mechanism of the kindspecified having a linkage which includes a shock preventing devicewhich during normal operation is capable of operating as a rigidconnection but which is capable of yielding when the difiFerence betweenthe loads at the ends of the device exceeds a predetermined value.

According to a further aspect of the present invention we provide amechanism of the kind specified including a linkage which connects theactuating means with the change delivery device, the linkage including ashock preventing device which is capable of operating as a rigidconnection, but which is capable of being forced to yield when thedifierence between the loads at the ends of the device exceeds apredetermined value and manually controllable means for setting up theseload conditions.

' The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings by way of example, and

in the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation view of a machine having a mechanism of thekind specified, the parts being shown in diagrammatic form forconvenience,

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged view of one form of shock preventing device andmanually operable means,

end of the short lever 12 and designated at 14.

The actuating means is arranged to move the short lever 12 between thepositions shown in full lines and the position shown in chain dot lines,and this movement causes corresponding movement in the long lever 11 be-.U-shaped connector is capable of movement in opposite 3,225,625Patented Dec. 28, 1965 tween the full and chain dotted lines positions,about the pivot 15 which is fixed to the framework 10.

The actuating means may be a mechanical or electrical device which isplaced in a condition to operate by the insertion of a coin or coinsinto the machine.

Operation of the change giving mechanism may either be set in motion bythe insertion of a coin or alternatively it may not operate until afurther control is manipulated.

Near the centre of the long lever 11 there is attached one end of theshock preventing device of which figure 2 is an enlarged view. As thelever 12 is moved by the actuating means the shock preventing device isreciprocated in the direction of its length, and under normal loadconditions transmits movement of the lever 11 to the change deliverydevice delivery member 19.

The change delivery device 18 is mounted on a part of the structure ofthe machine indicated diagrammatically in FIGURE 1 and designated 17 andthis has a single delivery member 19 which is reciprocable to affect thedelivery of a predetermined number of coins in change to a part of themachine at which it is accessible to the user of the machine.

Referring to FIGURE 2 the shock preventing device comprises a rod 20having attached to it a block 21 having a bifurcated end at one endwhich receives the end of the delivery member 19 of the change deliverydevice 18, the delivery member being provided with an aperture throughwhich a pin 22 extending transversely across the bifurcated end of theblock 21, passes.

The pin 22 projects from one side of the block 21 to form a projectionto one side of the rod axis, the pin having a knurled head 23 and aportion of the shank between the head 23 and the adjacent face of theblock 21 being surrounded by a rotatable bush 24.

The rod is provided with a bearing cage 25 adjacent to the block 21which is supported on a bracket 26 on the framework 17 of the machineand an abutment means in the form of a collar 27 is provided to limitlongitudinal movement of the rod through the bearing cage 25.

The opposite end of the rod is surrounded by two coiled compressionsprings 28, 29 separated by a U-shaped connector 30, the parallel legsof the connector 30 being provided with apertures for movement of therod 20 therethrough and a bush 31 being provided between the rod andeach compression spring, each bush being approximately half the lengthof the portion of the rod surrounded by each compression spring.

Each bush has a longitudinal slot 32 and an end flange 33 abuttingagainst one of the legs of the U-shaped connector 30.

Two pins 34 project from the rod 20, and each locating in the slot 32 ina bush, the bush movement longitudinally of the rod being limitedthereby. Collars 35 are provided at the ends of the springs remote fromthe U-shaped connector 30 these being secured by screws 36 to the rod.

The rod 20 is approximately 16 inches long and the compression springsare each 4 inches long, and the directions to compress the springs, andrelative to the rod a distance of approximately 1 /2 inches, this beingthe length of the slot 32 in each bush.

Movement of the rod in the bearing cage 25 is however limited to 1%inches by the collar 27 previously mentioned which is secured by screws37 to the rod and by the adjacent face of the block 21.

The U-shaped connector 30 has in its connecting portion an aperture forreception of a bolt 38 which connects with the long lever 11 of thelinkage.

The shock preventing device is provided to permit movement of either thecoin delivery device delivery member 19 or of the actuating meansindependently of the other in the event of a difference between theloads at the ends of the device in excess of a predetermined value whichmay be applied from either of its ends, in either direction and this maybe caused either by an obstruction or deliberately as hereinafterreferred to.

The load in excess of which the shock preventing device becomesoperative is determined by the rating of the compression springs, but atany load below this value, the shock preventing device operates as arigid member.

The coin delivery device delivery member 19 may be operatedindependently of the remainder of the linkage by taking advantage of themode of operation of the shock preventing device to reciprocate thedelivery member 19 and the rod 20 of the shock preventing device bymeans of a manually controllable member. This is in the form of a lever39 which is connected to the framework 17 by means of a bracket 40 oneend of the lever abutting the projecting pin 22 before referred to,extending from the block 21 connecting the shock preventing device withthe change delivery device 18.

The lever 39 is pivoted near its centre to a bracket 40 and has a curvedportion 41 capable of engaging with the bush 24 on the projecting pin 22and the opposite end portion 42 of the lever being so positioned that itis capable of being grasped.

This portion is however only capable of being grasped when the outercasing of the machine has been partly or wholly removed, and thisprevents the unauthorised operation of the lever which may be used tooperate the coin delivery device for the purpose of partly or whollyemptying the reservoirs, or for clearing an obstruction therein, such asmay be caused by a bent or damaged coin.

Operation of the manually controllable member is capable of exerting aforce on the projecting pin 22 sulficient to compress the spring 29between the U-shaped connector 30 and the free end of the rod 20 of theshock preventing device, the linkage between the shock preventing deviceand the actuating means being locked. Alternatively the mechanicaladvantage of the linkage operated from the end adjacent to the coindelivery device is better than that of the linkage operated from the endadjacent to the actuating means.

The projecting pin 22 which extends from the block 21 connecting theshock preventing device with the change delivery device delivery member19 is releasable so as to permit ready connection and release of thelinkage to the coin delivery device so as to facilitate removal of thelatter from the machine as and when required.

Various alternatives are within the scope of the present invention, andfor instance one such alternative may include a manually controllablemember which is situated adjacent to the actuating means so that thatcomponent may be operated independently of the change delivery device,or alternatively a manually controllable member may be used to operateany intermediate component of the linkage independently of the remainderof the mechanism and in this case there would be provided a second shockpreventing device, the two devices being inserted one on either side ofthe component.

In a further alternative, shown in FIGURE 4 of the accompanying drawingsthe shock preventing device is in the form of a telescopic unitcomprising an inner frame member 44, and an outer frame member 45 whichis coaxial with the inner frame member.

The outer frame member 45 is of hollow cylindrical form and is closed atone end. The inner surface of the cylinder is threaded at 46 alongapproximately a quarter of its length from the open end. The centralportion of the cylinder is unthreaded and is of approximately the samediameter as the threaded portion. Near the closed end the cylinder is ofreduced internal diameter designated at 47 and the length of this endportion is approximately equal to the length of the threaded portion.The shoulder 48 formed between the centre and reduced end portionsconstitutes an abutment surface of the outer member. Another abutmentsurface is constituted by the annular end face 49 of an externallythreaded sleeve 50 which screws into the open end of the cylinder. Theother end of the sleeve 50 has a flange 51 which engages the axiallypresented end of the cylinder when the sleeve is screwed fully home.

The inner frame member 44 comprises a cylindrical rod 52 which is aclose sliding fit in the sleeve 50, and a bolt 53. The length of the rod52 is approximately twice the length of the sleeve 50. The rod isprovided with an axially extending threaded bore 54 extending forapproximately one third of the length of the rod from one end. The shankof the bolt is reduced and screw threaded at its end portion 55 forscrew engagement in the bore 54 of the rod. The remainder of the shankis unthreaded and is equal in length to the distance between the innerend of the sleeve 50 and the shoulder 48 formed between the central andreduced end portions of the cylinder. The diameter of this part of theshank is greater than the diameter of the bore 54 in the rod, so thatthe. shoulder 56 formed between the two parts of the shank abuts againstthe end of the rod 52, but is less than the diameter of the rod. Theshoulder 57 formed between the unthreaded part of the shank and the endof the rod constitutes one abutment surface of the inner member. Theother abutment surface is formed by the under side 58 of the head 59 ofthe bolt. The head of the bolt is a close sliding fit within the reducedend portion of the outer frame member.

The device further includes a helical coil spring 60 and a pair ofspring bearing plates 61, 62 of annular form, these plates have acentral aperture slightly greater in diameter than the unthreaded partof the shank of the bolt 53, and the external diameter of the plates isslightly less than the internal diameter of the central portion of theouter frame member 45.

The device is assembled by mounting the spring 60 on the shank of thebolt 53 in between the two bearing plates 61, 62. The bolt is thenscrewed into the bore 54 in the rod 52. The length of the spring is suchthat when the bolt is fully screwed into the rod the spring iscompressed. The prestressed length of the spring is determined by thevalue of the load at which the device is intended to come intooperation. The rod 52 and bolt 53 are then inserted into the outer framemember 45 and finally the sleeve 50 is passed along the rod and screwedfully home into the open end of the cylinder.

The rod and the closed end of the cylinder are each provided withsuitable attachment means such as the plates 63, 64 for securing thedevice between the long link 11 and the delivering member 19 of thechange delivery device.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to use with theform of linkage described nor is it to be limited to the form of changedelivery device described, but the shock preventing device may beincorporated in any convenient part of the linkage.

What I claim then is:

Overload preventing mechanism mounted for connection between an actuatedmeans and an actuating means therefor comprising,

support means for said mechanism,

lever means mounted on said support means for pivoted movement inresponse to said actuating means, said lever means having means forconnection to the actuating means,

axially movable rod means for connection between the actuated means andactuating means,

pin means interconnecting one end of said axially movable rod means andthe actuated means,

said pin means including a portion projecting laterally of said rodmeans,

means responsive to overload conditions interposed between andconnecting said rod means and said lever means,

said overload responsive means comprising linkageincluding a loadtransmitting member slidably mounted on said rod means and pivotallyattached to said lever means,

a pair of abutment members mounted coaxially on said rod means inpredetermined spaced relation to each other,

spring means interposed between and engaging said spaced abutment meanson said rod means providing a connection therefor with said loadtransmitting member,

said spring means being operative to transmit a predetermined loadwithout yielding between said load transmitting member and said rodmeans in either direction of its axial movement but yielding when thesaid predetermined load is exceeded to thereby cause said loadtransmitting member to slidably move on said rod means without efiectingaxial movement thereof,

a manually actuable means mounted on said support means,

said manually actuable means engaging with said laterally projectingportion of said connecting pin means on said rod means and operable toactuate the actuated means and said rod means independently of theactuating means.

References Cited by the Examiner FOREIGN PATENTS 588,388 11/1933Germany.

BROUGHTON G. DURHAM, Primary Examiner.

